Universal Pictures will now keep its movies in theaters for at least five weekends

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Universal Pictures is changing its strategy for releasing movies in theaters. Instead of the previous rule of keeping films for at least 17 days, they will now keep new movies playing for a minimum of five weekends.

The studio announced Thursday that the change is happening right away. This will first affect their new movie, the Colleen Hoover adaptation “Reminders of Him,” which opens in theaters this weekend. They also have Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” scheduled for release in July.

In an email to the New York Times, NBCUniversal Entertainment chair Donna Langley explained that their approach to releasing films is always changing to meet current market conditions. However, she emphasized their continued commitment to releasing movies exclusively in theaters first, and to working with cinemas to ensure a thriving moviegoing experience.

Focus Features, the art-house division of Universal Pictures, will continue to decide how long movies play exclusively in theaters on a film-by-film basis. Some films, like Chloé Zhao’s “Hamnet,” had long runs – 99 days in theaters – while others, such as the 2024 film “Nosferatu,” played for 58 days. The shortest theatrical run currently is 17 days.

The discussion intensified during the pandemic, as some movie studios began releasing films on video on demand or streaming services much sooner after their theatrical releases.

Before the pandemic, payment windows could stretch to 90 days. Now, they’re typically around 30 days.

As a movie fan, I’ve been following this debate about how long movies should stay in theaters before hitting streaming. Theater owners are worried that if films become available at home too quickly, it’ll hurt ticket sales and get people used to just waiting to watch at home. But the studios are saying that a standard waiting period doesn’t make sense for every movie. Smaller films, especially, might actually reach more people if they’re available for streaming sooner rather than later.

During last year’s CinemaCon, the leading theater industry advocate, Michael O’Leary, urged movie distributors to keep films exclusively in theaters for at least 45 days. He explained that this would help audiences know what to expect and reinforce the value of seeing movies on the big screen.

The discussion is heating up because movie theaters are still struggling to regain their pre-pandemic financial success. Last year, ticket sales in the U.S. and Canada reached about $8.87 billion, barely exceeding the $8.74 billion earned the previous year, which was considered a letdown.

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2026-03-12 23:31